TotalEnergies and Air Liquide will create an equally owned joint venture to develop a network of hydrogen refueling stations, geared towards heavy duty vehicles on strategic European road corridors. This initiative will help facilitate access to hydrogen, enabling the development of its use for goods transportation and further strengthening this sector. The partners aim to deploy more than 100 filling stations, under the TotalEnergies brand, in France, Benelux and Germany in the coming years.
This agreement will lead to the creation of a major player in hydrogen solutions and contribute to the decarbonization of road transportation in Europe. The two companies will combine their know-how and expertise in infrastructure, hydrogen distribution and mobility: TotalEnergies will bring its expertise in the operation and management of stations networks and the distribution of energies to BtoB customers, while Air Liquide will contribute with its expertise in technologies and its mastery of the entire hydrogen value chain.
“Following the recent signature of a partnership for the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen on our Grandpuits Zero Crude Platform, we are pleased to once again join forces with Air Liquide and continue our common efforts to decarbonize mobility. As pioneers in hydrogen mobility, we are convinced of the necessity to start building now a heavy-duty network that will benefit our customers. This new partnership with Air Liquide will enable us to continue our development across the entire hydrogen value chain,” said Thierry Pflimlin, President Marketing & Services, TotalEnergies.
“Hydrogen offers clear benefits for heavy duty mobility. To promote its widespread use, it is imperative to accelerate the development of refueling infrastructures and to offer vehicle manufacturers and transport operators a sufficiently dense network of stations. It is precisely the ambition of this joint venture, which will benefit from the complementary expertise of Air Liquide and TotalEnergies,” commented Matthieu Giard, Vice President and Executive Committee Member of the Air Liquide Group.
The joint venture, which will be jointly managed by Air Liquide and TotalEnergies, will invest, build and operate these stations, as well as procure hydrogen from the market and dispense it to its transport customers. It is expected to be established in 2023.
Source: Air Liquide/TotalEnergies